Antirattling thill-coupling



EDWARD IIULING, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

AN'TIRATTLING THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,546, dated April 25, 1899.

' Application filed February 2, 1899. Serial No. 704,242. (No model.)

T0 to whom, it Netty concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD IIULING, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antirattling and Shaft-Shiftin g Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of my invention is to produce an exceedingly useful device which shall combine in itself the combination of means for preventing all rattling at the connection between the shafts (thills) or pole and the axle and of means for enabling the shafts or pole to be quickly separated from the axle or quickly connected thereto. It is believed that these means are each in themselves novel and that the relative arrangement in combination is new.

The several features of my invention and the various advantages resulting from their use conjointly or otherwise will be apparent from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, making a part of this application, and in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a front elevation of part of an axle and of a shaft-shackle mounted thereon and of my improvements combined in place therewith. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of that side of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, with the exception that the nearest eye of the shaft-shackle has been removed to enable the Working position of my improvements relative to the shaft-eye and shaftshackle to be better understood. Fig. 3 is a View of the quick-shifting guard and of the shaft-shackle eyes and shaft-eye and of the bolt connecting the latter to the former, all of these parts except the bolt being shown in vertical central section, the bolt being clip or shackle portion B and the clip-bar B nuts 13, and eyes 0. These eyes 0 G are fixedly secured to the shackle. These eyesare preferably, as shown, integral with the shackle. The portion 13 of the shackle, like a saddle, embraces the top and sides of the axle. The customary binding-piece, known as a clip-bar, B is located below the axle. The legs of the shackle pass through adjacent holes in this bar B and on that part of each leg which projects below this barB is screwed a nut B whereby the shackle is firmly secured to and on the axle. The axle, eyes, and shackle thus described are old, well known, and in common use.

I will now proceed to describe my invention.

I provide a strip or thin bar of metal and bend it so that it consists of a vertical portion D and a curved portion E. This curved portion meets the vertical portion at substantially a right angle, or nearly so, and then extends forward,and then curves forward and downward, and then back-ward in one continuous curve. It then extends backward a dis tance substantially as shown and at its rear end is there pivotallyconnected toahook-piece F, hereinafter described. The portion E is elastic. In front of the vertical portion D and secured thereto is the part D having curved recess D having a bottom D extending forward. The part D is preferably formed of malleable iron and riveted -to the vertical part D; but these parts D and D may be formed in one, if desired. The mode of making them as first described is more economical and, I find, produces better results. The hook-piece has preferably two parallel shankpieces F F whose free ends terminate in hooks F F and these may be united, and if united are preferably connected to a curved piece F adapted when the hooks F catch upon the rear end of the tie-piece B to partially embrace the lower portion of the rear shank of the shackle B, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 2. The hook-piece i-s preferably constructed of wire, and its ends F bentat right angles to the side pieces F and toward each other, are inserted into an eye E at the end of the spring-piece E.

In practice this device as constructed is applied as follows: The eye P of the shaft or pole iron M is secured to the eyes 0 of the clip 13 by means of a suitable bolt N. The portion D D is inserted from below upward,

between the eyes C and between the axle and the shaft-eye P, adjusted so that the recess D fits against and embraces the rear portion ofthe shaft or pole eye P. The rear (free) end of the portion E is then brought up by force and against its elastic trend, and the hook F is hooked over the rear end of the piece 13" and embraces the rear shank of the shacklesaddle, as shown in Fig. 2. The effort of the spring portion E to resume its original position (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2) forces the lower portion of piece D against the front end of tie-piece I3 and with this as a fulcrum, through the agency of the spring E, the part D D D presses the eye P of the thill or shaft upward and forward against its bolt and presses the bolt forward against the front sides of the openings it occupies in the eyes 0. Thus the eye is prevented from rattling against the bolt and the bolt from rattling against its eyes. Consequently all rattling of these connections is prevented.

I am aware that there has been an antirattling spring employed where the forward portion is formed into two curves somewhat on the plan of double S curves; but I do not make my spring thus, and I find my spring as I make it not only more powerfulin action, more serviceable in use, and more economical in manufacture, but I am enabled to utilize the upper horizontal portion or limb E of the piece E,which I intentionallyform thus and of some length as a convenient and novel means of supporting the quicleshifting device. I will now proceed to describe the latter. A bar P of metal, angulated at substantially a right angle, is present. The loweror bottom limb R of this bar is duly connected to the flat portion E of the spring-piece E. This connection is preferably made by placing the bottom R directly beneath the part E and riveting the same to the latter. The limb R of this quick-shifting device will then stand vertically (see Figs. 1,4, and 5) and opposite the side of one of the shaft shackle-eyes O. \Vhere I employ only one of these vertical limbs, the bolt N, which connects the shafteye to the shackle-eyes, will carry a head N and the latter will be located between the limb R and that shackle-eye adjacent to such limb. The limb R is located sufficiently far from this shackle-eye as to allow room for the bolt-head, but no room for the latter to play back or forth in the direction of the axis of the bolt. lVhen it is desired to use a bolt N without a head, Iprovide the bottom R with two vertical limbs R so that when the antirattling device is in position'these limbs are, respectii ely, on opposite sides of the bolt N as it lies in place in the shackle-eyes and shafteye and close to their respective ends of said bolt. Their position relative to the ends of this bolt are conventionally indicated in Fig. 5, where the bolt N (here headless) is indicated by dotted lines.

The part D may and preferably does extend down below the lip or bottom D and diminishes in thickness, substantially as shown, such downward extension below the lip D being indicated by the character D The mode in which my invention operates is in general as follows: Inasmuch as a description of the operation at one shaft-eye is substantially the same as at the other shafteye, the description of the operation at one will suffice for the other. The shaft-eye P is located in place between the shackle-eyes C, and the bolt N is inserted therein, coupling these together. Then my antirattling device is applied and locked in position, as heretofore specified. The guard limb or limbs R will now be present at the end or ends of the bolt and duly prevent it from being withdrawn. At the same time all rattling of the connections is prevented. \Vheuever it is desired to remove the shaft for repairs or, as will commonly be the ease, to exchange the same for another pair of shafts or for a pole, the antirattling device is disengaged by unhooking the hook F and withdrawing it. Then the bolt can be withdrawn, the shafts removed, and the other pair of shafts or pole can be connected to the axle by locating the shaft-eye in place between the shackle-eyes and putting the bolt into these. Then the antirattling device is applied and locked in place. The bolt is then prevented from bein g withdrawn by the guard device aforementioned. here a pole is in connection with the axle, it can be withdrawn in like manner as the shafts were removed, and it or the shafts can afterward be connected again to the axle and be securely prevented from beingdisengaged from the axle except through human agency.

What I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an antirattling and quick-shifting device for shaft-couplings, the vertical portion having recess adapted to pass between the shackle-eyes, and to receive the shaft-eye, and the bar united thereto and angulated to the vertical portion aforenamed, and extending horizontally forward, and then curving downward, and extending rearward, elastic, and provided with a means for hooking onto the rear end of the clip-bar, and bars extending laterally from the horizontal portion of the bar aforenamed, and then rising vertically, and when in place, being respectively opposite the ends of the bolt, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In an antirattling and quick-shifting device for shaft-couplings, the vertical portion having recess adapted to pass between the shackle-eyes, and to receive the shaft-eye, and the bar united thereto and angulated to the vertical portion aforenamed, and extending horizontally forward, and then curving downward, and extending rearward, elastic, and provided with a means for hooking onto the rear end of the clip-bar, a single bar extending laterally from the horizontal portion of the bar aforementioned, and then verti cally, and when in place being opposite and close to the head of a bolt connecting the shaft-eye, and the shackle-eyes, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In an antirattling and quick-shifting device for shaft-couplings, the bar D, and the bar E integral and joining together at an angle, and the bar D having recess D to receive the shaft-eye, and secured to bar D, the bar E having a straight portion from bar D forward, and then curving down and extending rearward, and provided with device for holding the bar E when sprung, to the clipbar, and the bar R connected to the upper straight portion of the bar E, and a bar R Vertical therefrom, and adapted to be present in conjunction with the end of the bolt, of the shaft-eye, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In an antirattling and quick-shifting device for shaft-couplings, the bar D, and the bar E integral and joining together at an angle, and the bar D having recess D and extension D forming the bottom of the recess, and retreating extension D below, this piece D D D being secured to the front side of EDWARD HULING.

Attest':

CHAS. M. LESLIE, K. SMITH. 

